Businessman fatally shot inside gym in Rajasthan's Kuchaman

A businessman was shot dead while working out in a gymnasium in Rajasthan's Kuchaman on Tuesday morning, triggering panic in the area, police said.

The incident took place early morning in the gym located on Station Road in Kuchaman, when an unidentified assailant opened fire at 40-year-old Ramesh Rulania, who owned a bike showroom and a hotel in the city, they said.

The attacker entered the gym around 5.20 am and fired at Rulania from close range before fleeing the spot. CCTV footage showed the suspect entering the premises moments before the shooting, ASP Nemi Chand Kharia said.

“Rulania was rushed to a nearby hospital by the other members of the gym where doctors declared him dead," he ASP said.

Police suspect the murder may be linked to an extortion threat Rulania reportedly received a few days ago from the Rohit Godara gang, which is active across western Rajasthan, including the Didwana-Kuchaman district.  Several other businessmen in the region reportedly received similar threats recently, officials added.

Police are scanning CCTV camera footage from the nearby areas to identify the killer, police said.

Rawatram Swami alias Rohit Godara, a notorious gangster from Lunkaransar in Bikaner district, is believed to be the mastermind behind the killing of gangster Raju Thehat, who was gunned down by four assailants in Sikar in December 2022.

Godara's name also surfaced in the May 2022 killing of popular Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala and the murder of Karni Sena chief Sukhdev Singh Gogamedi in December 2023, for which he claimed responsibility.